


an ode to you

by hannimiruku



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Implied Relationships, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-16 16:52:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11256987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannimiruku/pseuds/hannimiruku
Summary: Since when did I start being with you? —  he could only choke back the answer he gave himself many many times before — from the moment I opened my eyes and started to breathe, I think.this is a story about teenage heartbreak, and learning to live through it. And what happened before it.





	1. prologue — a young vampire's heart

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift to my best friend.

"Maa-kun~"

"Yes?"

A laugh.

"I love you."

"I know Ricchan, I love you too."

"Stay with me forever..~"

"I will."

"Promise me.."

"I promise, Ricchan."

Fingers touched softly, intertwining, along with their own hearts, in a less literal way.

He would never feel love like this again.

Ritsu couldn't help but let the tears roll down his cheeks, burning, scarring.

 

 

_He would never feel love like this again._


	2. the same day: now and one year ago

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ATTENTION: this was posted in a hurry and it's not Beta-ed so please forgive occasional mistakes! I'll be rewriting the ugly bits as soon as my beta reader shows up.
> 
> This is a gift to my best friend, the one whomstdve I can never thank enough for being in my life. The emo to my Kemos, the Zeppelisus to my Jonathansus, the angry [B]oe also known as Taemin's angel. I love you. Happy birthday !!! This was written for you. Go shoot Clara and Ban a thank u message later for helping me come up with this as it is.
> 
> Now, for my general audience: what you're going to read might seem out of character and confusing at first but I'd appreciate if you kept in mind that this work is a birthday gift and I chose to let go of canon so I could project my best friend and I as Ritsu and Leo, respectively. I guarantee it hasn't deviated enough for them to be considered out of character, please take their nicknames and interactions, among other questionable traits as you would headcanons.
> 
> Also, I ask you don't give up on my work halfway through this chapter. My narrative style is a bit different from the usual out there, but things will become clearer by chapter three (or four), I hope.
> 
> Enjoy the reading!

 

"....Liquid afternoons!" The young man vaguely heard the other one shout it from across their shared bedroom. What time was it again? He should just go back to sleep.

 

"Whatta nice metaphor!! Wahahahah~ ☆" the louder of them went on, with his endearingly characteristic laugh. 

 

"What do you think ?? Should I add it to my next project?! Hmmm..." he was addressed directly now, as it was always unclear if the over enthusiastic manchild was talking to himself or him at times like this.

 

"Dunno..." his first yawn since waking up one minute ago. "... now shut up you fish..." Ritsu yawned again and threw one of his many pillows at his former unit leader, annoyed and sleepy but not as much as he could be (if it were anyone else maybe he'd go and choke the source of noise with the pillow covers himself, he mused). Leo was always like this so what was the point.

 

It was another day in campus, precisely one year after he graduated from Yumenosaki academy. He reminisced with bitterness his last few days before leaving high school for good and.. he closed his eyes. His breathing picked up, and Leo must have noticed, since now he was hovering over him and asking if he was okay.

 

"Leave me alone ousama.... Your breath stinks, did you brush your teeth yet" Ritsu pushed the young man off his personal space with a glare, noticing how Leo now tried to smell his own breathing in vain.

 

He was tired.

 

* * *

 

"Kuma-kun~~" his former unit partner called, annoyance clear in his voice as usual.

 

"Whaaaat" Ritsu was now being dragged out of his usual sleeping spot in the practice room and into the middle of the corridor.

 

"Can you like, not sleep during your graduation day? Shouldn't you be preparing for the ceremony or something?"

 

"Haha.. Secchan here so early... Did ousama command you to come check on me?" He had a lazy smile across his face, seeing Izumi blush at the mention of his boyfriend.

 

"I arrived earlier because I had to drop our princess off from this urgent modelling work and since I have nothing better to do today, I came here. Leo doesn't boss me around." He stated with a glare, but his eyes were closed and his face grew redder by the second. So cute.

 

"Is he coming anyways?"

 

"Yeah, he said he'd arrive by 5pm but he might show up, like, 30 minutes after the thing has started. That's just how he is."

 

"True."

 

"Anyways, go get ready. I heard Yuu-kun calling for all third years to come fetch their graduation uniforms at the handicrafts club room. Go, go." Izumi pushed him towards the stairs for the mentioned clubroom. 

 

He had heard from Natchan that Mikarin would be there with his boyfriend, too. Everyone seemed to be dating nowadays. The thought made his own heart skip a beat. He had done what Natchan and Mikarin suggested a month ago, but.. maybe his childhood friend just wasn't as ready as he was? He recalled the way Maakun blushed when listening to him pour his heart out, his green eyes glittering, and the way he gingerly scratched the side of his face with his fingernails, as he always did when embarrassed, since they were little. However he didn't go and pour his heart back, he just said a simple "Oh" and...

 

He then thought back to the kiss he tried giving Mao, right after confessing and having Mao respond like that. Natchan said it'd be like in the Hollywood romances they loved to watch, that it'd be their true love kiss, however it felt more like he was forcing Mao into that uncomfortable situation. He didn't like it. Mao didn't seem to like it. He then started thinking if it was really so enjoyable to kiss the person you were in love with. It didn't seem like it. At least that's the impression he was under. What if people only did it because of social pretenses. What if he and Mao weren't the usual couple and displays of affection that deep just weren't their thing? It didn't make sense though, as he'd suck on Mao's neck every now and then, and give him kisses on the cheeks too. Well... Mao did show some mild discomfort with those since they became teenagers. Still... To Ritsu everything has been screaming "he loves you back". Just what went wrong with their first kiss?

 

* * *

 

Ritsu packed his bags for the day, uni work was much more tiring than high school. He admitted it was more lax back in Yumenosaki. What privileges did he have as an adult now? Technically he was already an adult back then, being held back a year and all. He already lived without his parents too, most of the time. His situation was no different except now he managed to feel even more tired and having Leo as roommate was a wild ride. Leo not only was far too enthusiastic about mostly everything when he was under his 3 antidepressants, he also managed to pull out a successful poly relationship with Secchan and Suuchan. The boys would be over every few days, and it almost felt like Knights days, except Natchan was away studying abroad and they might only see them again in a few years. They still tried skyping with Natchan but the 9 hours difference made it inconvenient. Anyways.

 

The room seemed messy since Leo still hadn't done his bed. Leo was messy since he first met him. He then learned about his bedroom organization philosophy: "if you're gonna sleep again at night, and no one fancy is coming to visit you in your room, why make your bed? Leave it as you slept. Much easier isn't it?? Wahahaha~". He thought himself to be lazy but Leo was something else entirely. The man lacked common sense. As he thought, today Leo wouldn't leave the room so early. He said something yesterday about redecorating the dorm, making it more about them (he could have an idea what he meant by that, seeing the gigantic bags he had brought home the other night, full with those phosphorescent stars parents usually glued to the ceiling in kids bedrooms, among kpop groups and anime posters, and last but not least, a very questionable Shrek themed shower curtain). He just hoped Leo wouldn't overdo it and actually hammer down a wall or something for the sake of home decor.

 

He had finished packing up by the time Leo came back from the toilet, hands dripping wet and a smile wide on his face to show Ritsu he had brushed his teeth. Ritsu nodded in approval and Leo stopped in his tracks so he could strike a pose similar to one of the many he had seen the characters in JJBA (he made Ritsu marathon it with him) strike. This one seemed like Josuke's, but he wasn't sure. What a nerd, that ousama.

 

"Listen, I'll leave for the day. I might have to stay in late because of this group project, I don't know. Anyways, don't set our dorm on fire, please. Also, don't forget to take your meds okay? I don't want Suuchan to come and yell at us for your suicidal tweets. Goodbye, legendsus." Ritsu waved him goodbye and got his hoodie from the chair next to the counter on their small kitchen; the hoodie was black, a comfy fabric, huge white pockets sewn on the front. It was a present from... Him.

 

Ritsu buried the thought deep in the back of his mind. Maybe he should throw this ugly piece of clothing away.

 

He sighed, and locked the door. He was getting far too many intrusive thoughts today, what the hell.

 

* * *

 

The handicrafts club, of which Mikarin still was in charge for this last day, was crowded with both people and fabric: graduation hats scattered around, third years everywhere near the door and the scrawny young man and his boyfriend by the middle of it all. His eyes did a quick search around the room for the antique doll they used to carry around but she wasn't there today it seemed. Well she did stop talking a lot since Halloween last year. He wouldn't be surprised if Shu no longer felt the need to bring her with him. Still it felt weird not to see her with them. She was like their daughter or something. It was kind of cute. 

 

He yawned. He would much rather stay home sleeping instead of coming to these crowded places for stupid ceremonials. At least... He'd get to see Maa-kun... 

 

"Ye!!! Come over Ritsu-chan!!!" 

 

The familiar voice stirred him back to the moment, it was Mikarin signaling him to get his own piece of clothing, a dark blue color for the satin graduation gown, and red velvet for the hat, with a white top for the graduates to write or draw over it. He didn't know what to write in there. He would probably ask Maa-kun to leave a message in it. Speaking of him, he had yet to show up on this room. Mikarin said he hadn't seen Maa-kun around yet and found it weird not to see him come get his own outfit when even Ritsu himself had done so. Maybe he should go after him...

 

"Thank you Mikarin, the outfit is very well done as expected of you huh.." and a signature yawn to punctuate his sentence. Mikarin blushed slightly and nodded in appreciation. "I'll go after Maa-kun now."

 

Making his way through the flock of overexcited third years was the easiest part, now he had to think places Mao could be at. He thought he would find him there in the handicrafts room but now he had to look at other options, such as the student council room or preparing the graduation ceremony at the court. Yeah he could definitely be there. Ritsu decided to run down the stairs to the court, following other eager teenagers ready to take their places where the ceremony would be held, although there were two hours left. Good two hours he could spend napping. Anyways, he walked past them, and went directly to where preparations should be happening. The ones in there were Yuzuru, Adonis, Subaru, Hokuto and Souma but no signal of Maakun. Maybe he should ask the trickstar boys.

 

"Hey. Have any of you seen Maa-kun around?"

 

"I heard from Ukki that he'd meet him in the stuco room for some personal business and he asked us to cover it for him in here meanwhile. I think they're still there? It's been like twenty minutes already but it's worth a shot!" The orange haired idol answered, always happy to help. Ritsu couldn't help but twist his face at the mention of Makoto. He didn't really like him. What business could he have with Maa-kun that would take twenty minutes in the privacy of the stuco room. God he should have gone and checked it first. The room is not too far away from the handicrafts so it was also convenient for him to check it first. Ritsu sighed, making his way back to the handicrafts and then he just had to make a few turns right and go through one corridor, the last opulent door in the huge hallway was the student council one. 

 

It was a very white, very clean door. The whole opulence came from the time Tenshouin was in charge, but Maa-kun thought it was best to leave it that way, for getting a new one would cost too much and he would rather spend the student council funds in other more practical things. He admired how Maa-kun could be focused and kind while having so much power over the whole school. He really loved him...

 

Ritsu could feel his own heartbeats growing faster by the moment he arrived in the hallway, close to the huge doors. What could that Yuuki boy be doing in there. They were probably doing nothing that interested him, a third person could even be there, and they could be discussing the schools future or something. Subaru did say it was "personal" though. He worried.

 

His fingers reached for the handle, heart now pumping blood to his whole body with a violence he could only blame on the irritation he felt, intrusive thoughts about things Maakun would never do with the Yuuki boy. It was pointless for him to even think such things. If anything, Maa-kun could probably be straight. And that's why he didn't take their kiss so well. It was pointless to think he'd be doing anything romantic with Yuuki Makoto, wasn't it?

 

He sucked in a deep breath, and entered the room.

 

The curtains were closed enough for just a small sliver of the afternoon sun to come inside the dusty, silent room.

 

Mao was there. Yuuki was there.

 

Yuuki was... on his lap... Hands cupping Maa-kun's face...

 

In a kiss.

 

"Ri-Rit-Ritsu. R-Ricchan. It's... It's not what you think! It's.."

 

Ritsu slammed the white doors shut again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rezi, I hope you, more than anyone, enjoys reading this. There are more chapters to read! I'm still editing the next one so have patience, you obsolete fish. Happy birthday!
> 
> And now, for my general audience again: thanks for taking a shot on my work, and remember to follow me on twitter for more of the Leo you saw here (and even more jojo & shitposting) — @mikajimas


End file.
